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31 July 2025
July has been a month of celebrations for the United States Studies Centre (USSC). This month, it was announced that USSC researcher Tom Barrett has been awarded the highly prestigious World Universities Ramsay Postgraduate Scholarship. Three of our researchers have now received the top scholarships in Australia in 2025. Sophie Mayo received the General Sir John Monash Foundation Scholarship and Alice Nason received a Fulbright Postgraduate Scholarship. It is encouraging to see our researchers go into the world to deepen their knowledge and understanding of these issues. Tom, Sophie and Alice have retained an affiliation with the Centre as non-resident fellows.
We are also delighted to be welcoming in August our next Maitri Fellow, Rushali Saha, thanks to the support of the Centre for Australia-India relations. This is an exciting element of our expanding connections around the Indo-Pacific. We have often found that our focus on the United States brings an interesting angle to our discussions with Indo-Pacific allies and partners. Especially in light of the current rate of change in the United States, there are more opportunities than ever to look at how countries across the region can cooperate in response.
This was a key theme of our latest report, Developing a shared Australia–Japan agenda for economic security, by Director of Economic Security Hayley Channer, Non-Resident Fellow Tom Barrett, Senior Research Associate Samuel Garrett and Research Associate Sahara Hoff. It is a culmination of discussions held throughout 2025 between experts from Australia and Japan to look at shared opportunities in energy, critical minerals, AI and infrastructure. The global economic uncertainty gives a sense of urgency toward working together to boost resilience through cooperation.
We are a month and a half out from our signature Sydney International Strategy Forum and this year’s theme of ‘Navigating Disruption’ has new layers of complexity and significance with each passing day. We hope you can join us on 17 September. Register here so you do not miss out.
News
USSC hosts former US Defence Secretary Chief of Staff Kelly Magsamen
Kelly Magsamen joined USSC as a Visiting Fellow this month. Kelly is the former Chief of Staff to US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. While she was with the Centre, she was part of workshops with our Women in the Alliance and NextGen cohorts. She also joined a public event on the future of US defence policy and recorded a podcast episode: AUKUS review, “Golden Dome” and defence spending: Australia and Trump’s defence policy.
New Maitri Fellow
We are proud to be welcoming Rushali Saha as our next Maitri Fellow, thanks to the support of the Centre for Australia-India Relations. Rushali is an independent researcher and analyst with Hozint - Horizon Intelligence, a Belgium-based threat intelligence firm. She is a regular contributor to The Diplomat and has held fellowships with The Stimson Center and The Takshashila Institution.
Over a six-month period, Rushali will undertake a research piece on “Securing the Western Indian Ocean: Prospects for Strengthening India-Australia Maritime Cooperation.”
Her work will explore the geostrategic implications of greater Australia-Indian cooperation on addressing grey zone activities and interstate conflict spillover in the Western Indian Ocean for the wider maritime security architecture in the Indo-Pacific. She will draw upon an analysis of both countries’ defence strategies to frame her research, including an assessment of their strategic alignment with that of other Quad partners.
We thank again the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Centre for Australia-India Relations for supporting this important work.
Intern with us in Semester 2
We’re now recruiting interns to join the United States Studies Centre’s internship program. As an intern, you won’t just observe – you’ll contribute to research that shapes conversations on US-Australian relations, foreign policy, and global affairs.
Applications close at 11.59pm, 6 August 2025.
Special event with address from Ukrainian Ambassador to Australia
USSC hosted a panel discussion featuring USSC Senior Lecturer Dr Gorana Grgić, University of Sydney Senior Lecturer Dr Olga Boichak, and Griffith Asia Institute Associate Professor (Adjunct) Dr Matthew Sussex, moderated by USSC Director of Research Jared Mondschein to look at the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, how the second Trump administration is changing dynamics and what role Australia can play. The event began with a virtual address by Ukrainian Ambassador to Australia His Excellency Vasyl Myroshnychenko.
EOI for new Women in the Alliance Network members
The United States Studies Centre is seeking expressions of interest to participate in the 2026 cohort of its Women in the Alliance (WITA) Network.
As a WITA member, you will be part of a cohort of 20 early-career women professionals selected to participate in a range of professional development and networking opportunities over the course of 2026. Through this initiative, you will join a vibrant community of academics and practitioners dedicated to exploring and addressing the key opportunities and challenges facing the Alliance.
Our flagship quarterly workshops have featured distinguished fellows such as Michèle Flournoy, former Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy, Dr Stacie Pettyjohn, Kelly Magsamen, as well as Australian experts, Commander (ret.) Jennifer Parker, Rachel Noble PSM and Aude Vignelles.
Launched in 2023, WITA offers distinctive professional development and networking opportunities for emerging Australian women leaders working in sectors across the US-Australia relationship.
If you have between one and seven years of professional experience in a sector related to Australia-US relations, and identify as a woman, non-binary or gender diverse, we would love to hear from you! Please send through an EOI and CV to the following address by Friday 22 August: ussc.wita@sydney.edu.au
USSC welcomes Korean delegation
This month, USSC co-hosted a morning roundtable discussion with an Asan Institute for Policy Studies-led delegation to discuss the future of Indo-Pacific security cooperation amidst an increasingly deteriorating strategic environment. The delegation included leading experts from multiple Korean think tanks and discussions considered both traditional regional security and non-traditional security.
Applications for Japan and South Korea study tour close soon
Applications are closing soon for our US Space, Science and Technology Policy in the Indo-Pacific Study Tour this November. This two-week study tour will go through Japan and South Korea and look at how US influence, policy actions and funding have shaped science, technology and space exploration in the Indo-Pacific region. The tour will be led by Dr Kathryn Robison, Lecturer in American Studies and Senior Research Fellow at the Australian Centre for Space Governance. Undergraduate and Postgraduate students from all faculties at the University of Sydney may be eligible. Applications close on 7 August 2025.
Recent content from us
REPORTDeveloping a shared Australia–Japan agenda for economic securityIn 2025, the USSC convened experts in Tokyo and Canberra to shape a shared Australia–Japan agenda on economic security, focusing on energy, critical minerals, AI and infrastructure. This report from Director of Economic Security Hayley Channer, Senior Research Associate Tom Barrett, Senior Research Associate Samuel Garrett and Research Associate Sahara Hoff summarises findings from the workshops and recommendations for deepening collaboration between Australia and Japan. |
REPORTPartnering for forward deterrence in the Indo-Pacific: Overcoming barriers to US-Australia cooperation on Australia’s GWEO EnterpriseOver the course of the last two years, the USSC has convened a series of roundtables with both industry and government representatives to look at how best to turn Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance Enterprise into a reality. This report from Center for Strategic and International Studies Director of Defense and Senior Fellow, Defense and Security Department Dr Cynthia Cook and USSC Research Associate Kester Abbott assesses Australia’s GWEO Enterprise and incorporates findings from these cross-sector roundtable discussions. |
BRIEFConverging currents: A case for enhanced Australia-India-US maritime intelligence sharing and security cooperation in the Indian OceanIn this brief, Royal Australian Navy Commander Phil Johnson looks at the scale of threats in the Indian Ocean region and the role Australia, India and the United States can play in increasing maritime domain awareness. |
BRIEFUS MTCR reform and its implications for Australian industry and defenceResearch Fellow Dr Christopher Watterson analyses the regulatory changes to the US Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) and what it means for US allies, like Australia, in this brief. |
PODCASTUSSC Briefing Room | Unpacking Trump 2.0: TariffsIn the third episode in our series on Unpacking Trump 2.0, we sat down with USSC Senior Economics Adviser Dr John Kunkel to talk about tariffs under President Trump. |
EXPLAINERThe US AI Diffusion Rule: What is it, why did the United States rescind it, and implications for AustraliaNon-Resident Fellow Tom Barrett and Research Associate Johanna Lim break down the Biden administration's Framework for Artificial Intelligence Diffusion and what it means for global sharing of AI. |
Upcoming events
Sydney International Strategy Forum 2025: Navigating Disruption
From tariffs to artificial intelligence, one word best sums up 2025: disruption. President Donald Trump’s first 100 days featured norm-breaking policies at breakneck pace, often to be overturned days or weeks later. At the same time, the wars in Ukraine and Gaza have entered new eras with high-level negotiations, on-again off-again fighting and a new world order forming in real time to adapt to a changing strategic landscape. The 2024 trend of turfing incumbents has given way to foreign elections that many perceive to be a referendum on US politics.
What is the future of the United States’ role in the world? How can governments and businesses plan in the midst of constant change? How should allies and partners approach security challenges in 2025 and beyond?
International experts across government, business and research will share their insider insights on the discussions happening in Washington, Tokyo and Canberra and what this means for US allies and partners around the world.
Confirmed speakers include:
- Dr Mira Rapp-Hooper, Former Special Assistant to the US President and former National Security Council Senior Director for East Asia and Oceania
- General David Berger (retired), Former Marine Corps Commandant
- Kori Schake, American Enterprise Institute Director of Foreign and Defence Policy and former National Security Council Director for Defence Strategy
- Lisa Curtis, Center for a New American Security Director of Indo-Pacific Security and former National Security Council Senior Director for South and Central Asia
- Clay Lowery, Institute of International Finance Executive Vice President and former US Treasury Department Assistant Secretary and National Security Council Director for International Finance
- Professor Nobukatsu Kanehara, Sasakawa Peace Foundation Executive Director and former Assistant Chief Cabinet Secretary
17 September 2025
The Four Seasons Hotel, Sydney, Australia
Early bird ticket $775 (ends 30 June)
Full price ticket $875
Student ticket $475
PUBLIC FORUM
Japan's defence revolution and Australia-Japan-US trilateralism under Trump 2.0
A panel of experts will unpack Japan’s National Security Strategy and explore the opportunities and challenges for Australia-Japan-US trilateral strategic cooperation under Trump 2.0. The panel will feature Yuki Tatsumi, Senior Director at the Institute for Indo-Pacific Security; Hirohito Ogi, Senior Research Fellow with the Institute of Geoeconomics at the International House of Japan, and Tom Corben, Research Fellow in the Foreign Policy and Defence Program at the USSC, in a conversation moderated by USSC Professor and CEO Dr Michael Green.
6 August 2025
6:00-7:30pmLevel 5 Function Room, The Michael Spence Building (F23) at the corner of Eastern Avenue and City Road, The University of Sydney
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United States Studies Centre
Institute Building (H03)
University of Sydney NSW 2006
